“I’m not a game player, Griffin.” I snorted, knowing how not true that was. He was still the guy who had plotted with his friends to steal power publically. Everything he did was laced with strategy and contemplation. He was the biggest game player of us all. “I’m not. I don’t like skirting around the truth and I prefer to be much more upfront about things. When I don’t like someone—I let them know. When I want to have sex with a girl—I tell her. It’s how I keep complication out of my life.”
“Okay,” I felt compelled to say something, even if I didn’t believe his bullshit.
“And then there’s you.” I tilted my bottle at him in salute with a tight grin before drinking again. If he thought, I was going to incriminate myself by admitting anything, he was wrong. “I didn’t trust you from the start, how could I, considering with whom you belong. But you had good ideas and you seemed to willing to help. I mean, I couldn’t have planned the beauty of the looks on their faces when you finished Leto off. It was the proverbial nail in your coffin; and yet, you were never fully loyal to me, were you?”
“No,” I said simply, taking another sip of the drink but never allowing my eyes to leave him.
“Then why help me? Why make yourself enemy number one? I bet you anything, your Olympian friends believe you’re the true mastermind behind this. They must think I’m your puppet and not the other way around.”
“I’m not your puppet,” I said with one more swallow. I could feel the buzz travelling through me.
“But you are, Griffin. That’s the funny bit. You think you’re being so clever sneaking around, but in truth, I’m controlling every move you make.”
“Is this because you’re going to threaten Valentina again?”
“If I have to.” My jaw tightened around the mouth of the bottle as I took another swig to finish it off. I would have to play along for now then.
“So, what about my future did you want to talk about?”
Soren chuckled, folding his hands in front of him as he stared at me. Our gazes were locked for a moment as we both sized each other up again. I wasn’t a physical fighter, but if this were going to turn toward a life or death situation, I’d do what I needed to.
“I want your loyalty, Griffin. I’m not that bad of a guy. I told you I’d grant clemency to anyone who wanted to come back up here. You’re already here, so all I need now is your payment for your loyalty.”
I knew the answer but I was stalling, “which is?”
“You’re going to give me that special ability of yours.”
“No, I’m not. Ask for something else.”
“Yes, you will, or I’ll go and fetch Valentina from her apartment.” He waved his hand, an image appearing in front of us. How could he do this? Was this a part of the key’s magic? “Oh, conveniently she’s actually with Oliver right now. I could always ask him to bring her to me...” I watched in horror as Oliver lunged at her, seemingly under someone else’s control as his hands flew to her neck. In the last second, she stepped through a threshold and disappeared. I watched her garden materialize and she looked around in sadness at the flowers I had destroyed with my magic.
Soren was just as enraptured with the scene as I was. His eyes were glued to her, a dangerous glint in his eyes that made my body tense and the urge to punch him in the mouth grow. Whatever he was thinking about her, I knew it wasn’t pure and innocent like she was. My magic or my soulmate, those were his terms.
“Fine.” I said, climbing back over the bar top again. “I’ll give it to you, but you leave her alone.”
“Well, if she causes any trouble I can’t guarantee that I won’t defend myself. It’s well within my rights.”
“She won’t cause trouble.”
“I wouldn’t count on that, Griffin. That girl of yours is very headstrong.” His eyes flicked back to the image, leering at her, before waving it away.
“She won’t cause any trouble,” I said firmly, even if I didn’t feel as sure as I sounded. I would do what I had to, to convince Valentina to stop whatever plans she had. Even if I had to lock her up again, I would protect her; he would never have her.
“What are you going to do with my powers?”
“Well, it will be instrumental in driving people into the cities of our choosing and, of course, it will also wipe out those who don’t make it to shelter in time. It’s an easy way of dealing with the overpopulation.”
“I suspected you were the kind of guy who enjoyed unnecessary bloodshed.”
“And I suspected you were the anti-hero in the story, but here we are. Growing, changing; as is necessary.”
He was playing me, he knew that Valentina was the only card I had to be played against me and he had kept it under wraps until he needed it. He didn’t even wait for a full-blown argument but launched right in with his counter-attack. I never stood a chance.
“I’m still the anti-hero, that’s your trouble.”
“You certainly seem to be stepping up to the hero’s role. Infiltrating us, making it look like you’re with us; but all along, you had a different agenda.”
“Who said my agenda is different?”
“I know where your true loyalties lie, Griffin.”
“With Aidan? That self-righteous douchebag? No, that’s where you’re wrong. My only loyalties are to Valentina and myself. She doesn’t even have her magic yet, so I feel obligated to protect my Godly wife. I’m sure you understand that, you’d do the same for Hanna.”
“Hanna is a toy. I get what I want from her and that’s it.”
“So you wouldn’t protect her if she were in harm’s way?”
“Not unless it had some detrimental benefit to me.”
“I imagine companionship is somewhat beneficial to a man who isolates everyone around him with his self-importance.”
Soren laughed, reaching for my hand, which stood gripping the neck of the absinthe bottle. I moved quickly, smashing the bottle against the edge of the bar and lunged for Soren. But he anticipated it, grabbing my arm and twisting it backwards. A cry ripped itself from my throat as my knees went out from under me, and Soren pushed me harder into the ground.
“That was foolish, Griffin.” He’d taken the bottle from me, running its jagged edge down the length of my neck, and I felt it tear at my skin before magic sewed me back up. “Interesting,” he said thoughtfully, “you’ve completed your union. You’re a full God now. That is a shame...”
“Sorry to inconvenience you,” I said through gritted teeth, as I struggled against his hold.
“It doesn’t matter really. It’ll just make killing you, when the time comes, difficult—” Keeping him distracted, gave me a chance to throw my head back, hoping it connected hard enough with whatever was there.
He groaned, releasing me, in favor of wherever I’d hit, and I jumped back up, turning quickly and summoning the coolness lingering in the room. The smoke materialized, crawling from my fingertips and snaking its way toward him. Soren chuckled, straightening himself back up.
“Yes, don’t stop.” He leered at me, making my stomach turn with fear and my heart leap into my throat. I went to drop my hand when two arms encircled me, holding the hand containing the smoke out in place as it continued to edge toward Soren. I struggled against whoever’s arms were holding me, but it was too late. Soren bent down, cupping his hands like he was taking a drink of water and he began to collect my magic in his hands. The dark magic slithered into his veins, flickering their way up through his arms, and inevitably into his chest, toward his heart.
The draw of magic was intoxicating and heady, I wanted to keep using like any addict would, but Hades screamed in my head, not yet silenced, and I knew I had to stop before he drained us of our magic completely.
It was like fighting to walk through a wind tunnel as I forced my stiff fingers to close, curling them, one by one, into themselves and forming a fist that finally successfully cut off the magical stream. But I felt exhausted and defeated, slumping into the arms of whoever my
captor was.
“Excellent,” Soren said with a chuckle, wagging his fingers like he was going to test it out. I half expected him to use it on me, but before he could, Oliver came into the bar, interrupting us.
“Persephone is still in Olympus.”
“I know.” Soren looked at me with a Cheshire Cat grin. “What do you want me to do?”
“Let her go. Griffin assures me that she won’t cause any trouble, right, Griffin?”
“Screw you,” I said, letting my head stoop as I stared at the ground. I needed to sleep. Using so much power, or rather, being drained of so much power, was exhausting. I felt like I could fall into a coma for the next century and it still wouldn’t be enough.
“We’ll keep an eye on her anyways, if she does cause any trouble, we’ll go and fetch her. Then, we’ll show her what we do with troublemakers.” They all started to laugh as I scowled. I was the worst hero there was. I couldn’t stop Val now and she was going to do something to incite their anger. I wouldn’t be able to protect her. My life wasn’t worth anything; but it would be worth even less, if something happened to her.
Chapter 13
Gage spoke from behind me, and I wasn’t all that surprised that the brute was the one holding me. He jerked me back up completely onto my feet, and we moved out of the room.
I was so disappointed and ashamed of myself. It had ended as quickly as it had started, and I’d not put up much of a fight. Now, Soren had some of my powers and he was planning on killing millions of people with it. I had singlehandedly helped the Titans achieve their cause. What point was there in Valentina saving the other Olympians, if there was nothing to come home to? Except, maybe, killing me; because now there was no way I was going to be able to convince them I was on their side.
The next doorway took us through to the war council room, where the others were waiting for us. Gage all but threw me into a chair before magically binding me to it. My head was pounding, the blood seemed to rush into place, beating against my eardrums and deafening the entire room for me. I watched lips move but I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of my thumping blood.
Soren turned to look at the screens, zooming in on Aidan as Valentina suddenly entered onto the mountaintop. I watched in horror as she set to work trying to free him. This was it, this was the moment when they sent someone to punish her or kill her, and it would be my fault. Aidan summoned a lightning bolt and I wondered why Soren hadn’t tried to take Aidan’s power from him. A lightning bolt of that power was more useful than my smoke ability.
Soren said something, but the rushing noises in my ears barely allowed me to make it out. Oliver nodded his head and disappeared through a door. I could only guess where he was going. I tried to keep my eyes peeled on the screen in front of me, but hazes of darkness clung to the edges of my vision. I felt my head dip, exhaustion calling my name.
“Griffin!” Soren barked at me, and I had to blink myself back into focus as I looked up at him.
“What now?” I groaned insolently, fighting to keep my eyelids open while the drain of magic tried to pull me under.
“I want you to pay attention, we’re going to be testing the extend of your abilities now. I’d like to see how it works on a mass-scale.”
“Goodie,” I said deliriously, feeling my head lull to the side as sleep fought to pull me under. Hades resisted, wanting to see what happened, to keep fighting. But I hadn’t the energy, and I’d almost lost the will too. What point was there in trying to be a good guy? I’d never done anything in my life for the sake of someone else, and for good reason too. This is exactly what happened when I tried: I failed.
Valentina was about to be captured, probably tortured, and inevitably killed. Aidan was a lost cause as the mid-day snack of an eagle. Savannah was Gods know where, and the rest of the Olympians were just as lost now. It would only be a matter of time before they were consumed by whatever creatures were coming for them; so what use was it in me fighting with my life to save them?
If I slept then, at least, I didn’t have to bear witness to any of these things.
“Griffin!” Someone smacked the side of my head, startling me awake again as I forced both eyes open once more. The jolt was exactly what I needed, as it roused Hades through the fog of sleepiness and alcohol to remind me of something Soren didn’t know: the smoke wasn’t my only ability.
“Ah, here we go.” Soren focused on the scene unfolding on the screen. Valentina was hanging over the side of a cliff by Oliver’s magic. I couldn’t hear what anyone was saying but it was easy to see that she was still fighting. She had the spirit of a fighter; and so, too, could I —for her.
As much as I wanted to watch, to see she made it out okay, I knew I didn’t have much time. If Soren was distracted, I could make a run for it and this was the only chance, I was sure, I would get.
“Gage... Gage.” The scene on the screen enraptured him, while Hyperion, Oceanus and Prometheus fought the King of the Skies and the Princess of the Underworld. His eyes finally snapped away, looking down at me.
“What?”
“I need you to push my hair out of my eyes, I can’t see.” I shook my head trying to accentuate the blockage. He huffed, muttering something that sounded vaguely like “gay” and an expletive before doing as I asked. As soon as his hand touched my forehead, I closed my eyes and concentrated on his light. I drew the life force to me, hearing him gasp distantly, as the light coursed into my veins and filled me up.
His life was recharging my drained magical battery. I could feel myself getting stronger, while the binds that held me fast to the chair weakened with each passing second. His touch on my forehead staggered, as he dropped to his knees and the connection was lost. But nothing was holding me down anymore as I stood, pressing my own hand to his face and finishing the job. My body swelled as a chorus of excitement bubbled up.
The darkness was hungry; it wanted more.
Hanna seemed to realize what I was doing and stood up quickly, moving toward me. With a supernatural sixth sense, I reached out blindly and caught her wrist with my other hand. She shuddered, her body tensing and convulsing, as the strength of my will domineered her desire to live. Gage’s light began to fade and my body hummed for more. I turned completely to Hanna with the intention of draining her too, when Soren looked away from the screens and saw us. A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes and I finally caught a glimpse of his weakness.
Cracking a vicious grin in his direction, I released her. I was aware of the personal war I had just begun, before I rushed myself to the door and pulling myself through it with only one destination in mind where they couldn’t follow me:
The Underworld.
Stumbling into the darkness, I was quick to throw my hands up, cutting them on the rocky edge I braced myself on. I glanced over my shoulder quickly to see Soren running right for me. I didn’t want to chance him coming through the door after me, his one chance to find a loophole into
The Underworld, so I moved to quickly slam the door shut in his face. I hung in midair for a second, bracing myself on the doorway as I took a few shaky breaths.
“Thank you,” I said aloud to Hades. A ripple of calm washed through me and I accustomed myself to the sense of exaltation that came with the life force hit I’d done. If not for the sense of self-preservation Hades had filled me with, I was sure I would’ve stayed to collect every drop I could from Hanna. I wanted it that bad, and my track record with addictions wasn’t smooth.
I was weak, what if I grew to craving the hits? Would I be able to live with myself stealing the life, literally, from people for my own self-serving purposes? I didn’t want to answer that question, I wasn’t comfortable with the response.
Straightening up, I summoned some lights and stared down the long corridor the candles revealed. I didn’t know what part of The Underworld I had gotten to, but I needed to find a way to reach Valentina without going up onto Earth. They’d be looking for me, and the moment I showed my face, Soren woul
d be back for revenge and, no doubt, to take the power I had spurned him of.
I wasn’t excited about seeing the others either, facing up to how everything had played out. It probably didn’t matter to Aidan or Savannah that I’d just been acting to try and save us all. My actions were a direct reflection of the kind of man they saw me as in their eyes. Savannah would probably try and convince Valentina that I was still bad for her.
Even if my plan had worked the way I wanted it to, it wouldn’t matter to them. I was the villain through and through. The reasoning behind my actions couldn’t matter any less to the King and Queen of the Gods. And as bitter as I wanted to be about that, I knew Valentina would want me to put aside my own personal feelings and be a gracious host to them in our realm.
This was, after all, the only place everyone else was safe. From the Titans at least, I couldn’t speak about whether the monsters would be able to come down here. Cerberus found his way down here easily, and from what I knew of the myths from Hades, there were other monsters who had been born in the bowels of the Underworld, so they called it home.
The hallway brought me back into the lake room outside of the throne room. I glanced at the blood red stalagmites but I found nothing vile about their existence anymore. They, like me, had a darkness to feed, and blood was the substance of which it craved. The more I came to accept myself for who I was—Prince of the Darkness, of Death, Destruction, and Doom. I was the King of the Underworld, and so, the more I understood this realm around me. It was a direct likeness of the beast inside of me, my own inner thoughts, reflected in the dismal décor and the hopelessness of the labyrinth like corridors. It was, for all intents and purposes, the caves of my mind brought to life.
All I had to do, was think and the ground shifted around me, changing to my whims and wills. With the other Gods coming soon, we needed a place for them to sleep, apartments for them, where they might feel welcome. It was the least Valentina would expect. So I thought about it and I could hear the walls groan as they expanded and shivered, shifting around to accommodate my desires.
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